Amazon Studios has released the official trailer for Birds of Paradise, the ballet drama debuting on Amazon Prime Video on September 24, 2021. You can watch the trailer using the player below and you’ll find the poster underneat.
Birds of Paradise is rated R for drug use, sexual content, language and brief nudity.
The movie was written for the screen and directed by Sarah Adina Smith. It is based on the book Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small.
Birds of Paradise, which has a runtime of 113 minutes, stars Diana Silvers, Kristine Froseth, Jacqueline Bisset, and Stav Strashko.
Kate Sanders (Silvers) is an ambitious and gifted, if tomboyish, aspiring ballerina from Virginia who, because of her low-income status, is given a scholarship to attend a prestigious ballet school in Paris, France. Upon arriving at the cutthroat, internationally-renowned institution, her confidence and emotional fortitude are tested by a beautiful, mysterious fellow dancer, Marine Durand (Froseth), who recently lost her brother (and dance partner) to suicide.
While confrontational at first, Kate and Marine’s relationship evolves into an emotionally-charged, competitive union beset by lies, sexual awakening and, ultimately, emotional breakthrough as they risk everything to win the school’s ultimate prize: a contract to join the Opéra national de Paris.
“Sarah is a talented, visionary filmmaker who we’re so happy is part of the Amazon family, and we can’t wait to bring her next story to life with Birds of Paradise,” said Julie Rapaport, film co-head at Amazon Studios, previously.
“We’re also thrilled to be working with stars Diana Silvers and Kristine Froseth who are both on the path to becoming the next household names with their undeniable talents.”
Sarah Adina Smith said: “I wrote these roles specifically for Kristine Froseth and Diana Silvers, who I believe are going to take the world by storm.
“I’m honored to take this journey with them and so thrilled to be partnering with Amazon Studios once again in pursuit of bold, unapologetic filmmaking.”
The book is officially described as follows: Would you die for the Prize? Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained since childhood at the Paris Opera Ballet School, where they’ve forged an inseparable bond through shared stories of family tragedies and a powerful love for dance.
When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves how far they would go for the ultimate prize: to be named the one girl who will join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic will make them shine, too? Would they risk death for it? Neither girl is sure.
But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition — for the Prize, for the Demigod — becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.
Bright Burning Stars is a stunning, propulsive story about girls at their physical and emotional extremes, the gutting power of first love, and what it means to fight for your dreams.
